Labour market

The Government has adopted legislative amendments that will amongst other things exempt certain groups from the salary requirement for labour immigration that was introduced on 1 June.

Minister for Employment Johan Britz will assume responsibility for climate and environment issues in the Government while Minister for Climate and the Environment Romina Pourmokhtari is on parental leave. Meanwhile, he will retain his regular responsibility for labour market policy.

Sweden aims to take a leading role in artificial intelligence. The Government is now presenting a new AI strategy with the aim of providing more effective government agencies, clearer rules for businesses and better conditions for research. The objective is for Sweden to be among the world’s top 10 countries in the field of AI.

Fighting work-related crime is a priority area for the Government. For this reason, the Government has approved a bill with proposals aiming to introduce more stringent conditions for labour immigration and counteract fraud and work-related crime, while still promoting immigration of highly-skilled labour.

The Swedish labour market is reflecting the effects of a prolonged economic downturn and several structural challenges. To address the high level of unemployment, the Government is introducing a package of robust measures to get more people into work. The aim is to break the economic downturn by strengthening household finances, increasing incentives to work, creating more opportunities for education and supporting companies.

Opinion piece by Minister for Migration Johan Forssell in Dagens Industri, 26 June 2025.

Today, 1 July 2025, marks the 25th anniversary of the Öresund Bridge. Sweden and Denmark are close to each other in terms of culture, values and common objectives – and their cooperation has never been closer than it is now. To mark the anniversary, Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen adopted a declaration with the objective of making the Öresund region safer and more competitive and simplifying living and working across the border.

Minister for Employment and Integration Mats Persson will leave his post.

Although unemployment is high in Sweden, employers all over the country are looking for new employees with the right skills. For this reason, both the professional and geographical labour mobility of jobseekers need to increase. The Government has now tasked Arbetsförmedlingen (the Swedish Public Employment) Service to further develop the control of this.

Yesterday, Minister for Migration Johan Forssell was presented with a memorandum entitled Bättre migrationsrättsliga regler för forskare och studenter (‘Better migration regulations for researchers and students’). It contains proposals with a view to improving the migration regulations for foreign researchers and doctoral and other serious students, and to counteract abuse of residence permits for studies.

In the Budget Bill for 2025, the Government proposes several measures to overhaul integration policy. The Government proposes broad initiatives, including measures aimed at improving language skills for children and staff in preschools, schools, after-school care and care for older people. To better follow the development, it is proposed that funding be set aside to develop and implement more appropriate follow-up of integration.

In the Budget Bill for 2025, the Government proposes allocated funds to the Swedish Work Environment Authority for stricter and more effective supervision to prevent fatal accidents and other work environment risks. It also includes developing the selection of workplaces for inspection to ensure that the supervision is directed to a greater extent at the workplaces where the risk is greatest. To this end, the proposal is that the Swedish Work Environment Authority’s administrative appropriation be increased by SEK 50 million for 2025. The appropriation is then expected to increase by SEK 75 million in 2026 and permanently by SEK 100 million in 2027.

The Government has presented a government bill to the Riksdag with proposals aimed at improving Sweden’s ability to attract and retain highly qualified workers.

The Government has decided to refer proposals to the Council on Legislation that aim to improve Sweden’s ability to attract and retain highly qualified workers.

An inquiry has been tasked with proposing measures to improve the prospects of attracting and retaining foreign doctoral students and researchers in Sweden. The aim is to strengthen Sweden’s competitiveness as a research and innovation nation. The inquiry will also review the regulatory framework for residence permits for studies, with the aim of counteracting abuse of study permits.

The shortage of workers with sought-after skills is one of the main obstacles to growth for companies in Sweden and has also become an obstacle to regional development. In light of this, the Government is allocating SEK 25 million in 2024 to strengthen coordination of the ongoing efforts of eleven government agencies linked to attracting and retaining international expertise.

Minister for Migration Maria Malmer Stenergard received an inquiry report today entitled ‘New regulations on labour immigration, etc.’ The report contains a number of proposals that aim to make conditions for low-skilled labour immigration more stringent while promoting highly skilled labour immigration.

In connection with the Government’s Budget Bill for 2024, several reforms concerning the labour market, integration and efforts to combat social exclusion were proposed. The proposals are based on an agreement between the Government and the Sweden Democrats. The Government presented the autumn budget to the Riksdag on 20 September.

Genève, 8 June 2023. Check against delivery.

On 3–4 May, the EU social affairs and labour market ministers will gather in Stockholm for an informal meeting hosted by Minister for Employment and Integration Johan Pehrson and Minister for Older People and Social Security Anna Tenje. Minister for Gender Equality and Working Life Paulina Brandberg will also take part.